U.S. Sen. John Cornyn returned to his hometown Wednesday to tout the benefits of the Patriot Express loan program, which is designed to get business loans to military veterans quickly and inexpensively.

He praised the program for cutting through the red tape that typically delays loan programs. Cornyn said he'd like to see the assistance expanded.

?The most important thing is to get access to credit to these small businesses,? the senator said.

Instead, Cornyn said regulators and other officials in Washington often make it more difficult for employers to grow.

The 3-year-old Patriot Express program has extended nearly $35 million in loans to 515 Texas veterans, making Texas the second-largest user of the loans behind Virginia, officials said.

The 55 counties in the SBA's San Antonio district have claimed 215 of those loans totaling $17.7 million, a news release said.

Pamela Sapia, SBA district director in San Antonio, said the program can provide up to $500,000 in loans to veterans, active-duty service members who are participating in the transition assistance program, their spouses and widows.

Processing of the loans is streamlined, and interest rates are the lowest the SBA offers for business loans, the administration said.

Sapia said Randolph-Brooks is the largest lender of Patriot Express loans in Texas and the fourth-largest in the country.